How to Make a Healthy Sandwich

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 at 7:00 am

Lunch often includes some kind of sandwich. Not all sandwiches are equal, though. Some are loaded with more calories than you need, while others are a fairly healthy choice. It all depends on what the sandwich is made of. Here are some tips to help you make a healthy sandwich.

How to Have a Healthy Sandwich

Share with a friend
Restaurants and fast food places are notorious for selling people a much larger portion of food than is healthy to eat. Bring a friend or family member to lunch with you and split that giant sandwich into the two portions that it is supposed to be.

Another option is to set aside half of the sandwich right away. Eat half the sandwich for lunch, and save the other half for later.

Make an open sandwich
One way to reduce the amount of calories you are eating is to make a sandwich with only one piece of bread (instead of two). Pile plenty of vegetables and protein onto the bread. You won’t have to worry about how to fit it all between two pieces of bread.

Try a wrap
The number of calories in a slice of bread differs, depending on exactly what kind of bread you are using. A romaine lettuce leaf doesn’t have many calories at all. Some restaurants offer wraps in addition to sandwiches. Fast food places might have a “low-carb” option. They will wrap your burger in a lettuce leaf instead of a hamburger bun.

Read the labels
If you don’t read the nutrition labels on food very often – you are in for an unpleasant surprise. There are a lot of processed foods that contain sugar. Most people know that cookies contain sugar. Did you know that some condiments contain sugar, too?

Before you add ketchup, or mustard, or mayonnaise to your sandwich, take a minute to read the label. Find out how much sugar that condiment has hiding inside it. Check the amount of calories. You can skip the condiments and add moisture to your sandwich with tomatoes (or other juicy vegetables) instead.

Avoid processed meats
The easiest thing to throw onto a sandwich is some processed, sliced, lunchmeat. It might be tasty, but lunchmeat can contain a lot of sodium. A healthier option is cooked chicken breast, or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. If you need a quicker option, try canned tuna or canned chicken. Look for a can that is labeled “no salt” or “low salt”.